The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-03-07

with so loud flourish of trumpets, and so
much of affection for the dear people" we
represent. Nor are we content with that
for. after shearlng ourselves oy our own ac-
tlon of the right of examining the accounts
Of this nation, we also attempt to shear the
coordinate body, the Senate of the United
States, of their equal right to examine the
items of expenditure for this government
and not only that, but you apply the same
rule to the President, the President of your
own choosing
appeal to this House, in order that this
event may make somewhat more than tenn
porary impression upon us, and upon the
Country, TO think of what has been done. /
am willing to make all reasonable allowances
tor the nature OF body like this, for its
moods of temper, its moods of recalcitrancy,
its disposition to take rude methods to re-
Dnke any suggestion of injustice or any SEM
Dlance of unfairneSS.
But every man here knows those moods,
for every man must understand, at least to a
certain extent the temper of his body, and
it is one of the great facts which members in
charge of appropriation bills ought to take
into account here and not deceive them
selves by failing to pay attention to it, They
ought to bring forward bills of such char
acter as not to demand what has been twice
repeated to-day, the abdicating of all the
powers OF the House to examine the items,
and thus compel 9 passage of the bill under
a suspension of the rules with no such exam
nation or consideration as the Constitution
contemplates and as the people demand. And
why have We done this?
Have we neglected the grand audit of the
accounts OF the nation on account of the mo-
pie things we have otherwise done? Time
falls me to speak of the noble achievements
OF both wings" of the emocratlc party
upon the tariff, one of them cOnyulsed with
sorrow because of the sufferings of the peo-
pie under tariff taxation, shouting for free
trade, and the other by pretense of protec-
ton preparing at the next election shield
for the Democratic porty against the charge
of free trade.and against the honest indigna-
ton Of the people of the United States which
would wipe them out il they did not put in
front as hostages or as prisoners OF war al
ways the gentleman from Pennsylvania MIR.
Randalll and the Others who follow him.
daughter and applause. What other great
achievements have we to record? Here is
defenseless country, a country without the
power to protect itself from assault, q c0un-
try without gun that could reach one-third
of the distance of those that may be brought
against us; fair opportunity offered BIZ the
generosity of this side of the House toblace
in their control the expenditure of large
sums of money for the defense of the coun-
try-money for Navy, money for f0rtifica-
tions, and money for guns-and they deliber-
ately refuse to avail themselves of the prof
fer, but vote it down; and they not only de-
liberately vote it down but they sneeringly
assume responsibility. Applause on the
Republican side.
What other great achievements have thus
thrust aside the appropriation bills? You
all know that as. to bill of particulars as to
what has been done. A suspension of the
rules, of criticism, no second, and a quick
passage would be the most appropriate thing,
and also much more soothing to the other
side than discussion of what they have
done.
Nor is it alone, repeat, the Applopria-
tioDs Committee. But it is the other COM
mittees controlled by that side of the House
charged with the duty of making appropri-
ations. With one or two exceptions the
other bills seem to have been managed in
somewhat the same fashion.
Now, / submit to the House that this thing
ought to cease; that in some way by our
action we ought to show that we do not in
tend that the last days Of the session shall be
spent in registering the edicts of few com
mitteees, but that the House of Representa-
tives itself, in its entirety, representing all
the people of the United States, shall not be
deprived of that voice in the affairs of the
country which the Constitution and tie good
sense of the people demand. [Applause.]